''Pholiota'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of small to medium-sized, fleshy

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is t ...

s in the family

Strophariaceae The Strophariaceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. Under an older classification, the family covered 18 genera and 1316 species. The species of Strophariaceae have red-brown to dark brown spore prints, while the spores themselves a ...

. They are saprobes that typically live on wood. The genus has a widespread distribution, especially in

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

regions, and contains about 150 species. ''Pholiota'' is derived from the Greek word ''pholis'', meaning "scale".

Taxonomic details

The genus ''Pholiota'' includes mushrooms, with scaly, glutinous to dry

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

surfaces, and that frequently grow on wood or at the bases of trees or on decaying tree roots, and

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

that are brown, light brown, or yellowish brown in deposit. These spores are smooth with a

germ pore A germ pore is a small pore in the outer wall of a fungal spore through which the germ tube exits upon germination. It can be apical or eccentric in its location, and, on light microscopy, may be visualized as a lighter coloured area on the cell ...

, although the germ pore can be quite narrow in species. Usually the species have

pleurocystidia A cystidium (plural cystidia) is a relatively large cell found on the sporocarp of a basidiomycete (for example, on the surface of a mushroom gill), often between clusters of basidia. Since cystidia have highly varied and distinct shapes that ar ...

that include a type called chrysocystidia. There have been several varying concepts of the genus, ranging from a pre- molecular era very broad concept that nowadays would include the genera '' Phaeolepiota'', ''

Phaeonematoloma ''Phaeonematoloma'' is a small genus of slender, fleshy mushrooms in the family Strophariaceae with large, brownish spores with a germ pore and with conspicuous chrysocystidia. The genus has several assigned species but may be monotypic. The typ ...

'', ''

Flammula ''Flammula'' is a dark brown-spored genus of mushrooms that cause a decay of trees, on whose bases they often fruit, forming clusters of yellowish brown mushrooms. Taxonomy For nearly a century, ''Flammula'' was considered to be a synonym of ''P ...

'', ''

Meottomyces ''Meottomyces'' is a small genus of relatively nondescript, fleshy, brown mushrooms related to ''Tubaria''. In older classifications it had been included in ''Pholiota'', '' Phaeogalera'', or '' Hemipholiota''. Modern molecular evidence suggested ...

'', some '' Stropharia'' species, some ''

Hypholoma ''Hypholoma'' is a genus of fungi which are quite well known due to the commonness of sulphur tuft (''Hypholoma fasciculare'') on stumps in temperate woodlands. Species in this genus are easily recognizable because the dark spores create a dis ...

'' species, '' Hemipholiota'', '' Hemistropharia'', some ''

Kuehneromyces ''Kuehneromyces'' is a genus of agaric fungi in the family Strophariaceae. The genus was circumscribed by mycologists Rolf Singer and Alexander H. Smith in 1946. The genus name of ''Kuehneromyces'' is in honour of Robert Kühner (1903-1996), w ...

'' and some '' Phaeomarasmius'', etc. Currently the genus is restricted to a smaller but still large group of species that primarily grow on wood, causing a white rot, but other taxa occur on burnt ground following forest fires or camp fires, on peaty or forest soil, but none are known to be

mycorrhiza A mycorrhiza (from Greek μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. mycorrhizae, mycorrhiza or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plant ...

l. Many species have prominent

partial veil In mycology, a partial veil (also called an inner veil, to differentiate it from the "outer", or universal veil) is a temporary structure of tissue found on the fruiting bodies of some basidiomycete fungi, typically agarics. Its role is to isola ...

s and form an

annulus Annulus (or anulus) or annular indicates a ring- or donut-shaped area or structure. It may refer to: Human anatomy * ''Anulus fibrosus disci intervertebralis'', spinal structure * Annulus of Zinn, a.k.a. annular tendon or ''anulus tendineus com ...

or annular ring on their stipes. None of the species have purplish or purplish brown spore prints. None form acanthocytes on their

mycelia Mycelium (plural mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are found in and on soil and many other substrates. A typical single spore germinates ...

Selected species

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q584812 Agaricomycetes genera Strophariaceae